The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-12

were on my shoulders, whose eyes, |
felt, were on my tace; somebody who
had never forgotten me-Robbery'
"Bobberyl Robbery" l cried, and ]
stretched out my arms to him.
Boblery said: IL came over IN a
tub, only think. such a lark but as !
climbed in at the window our tub
drifted away, and however we're to
get over can't tell"
"l OH must think OF something" !
said, "Bobbery, it was long day.
"Why, OF course 1t was" Robbery
answered, "without me. Come along
the rivers rising like fury"
as it very wide?" | asked.
"O not more'n n good stretch from.
here to the dry land, but deep, over
six feet, should say, and rising"
"But the bed, Robbery" | said,
"and the other things"
"Well, We must just leave them III.
til it's all right again"
Twill it ever be all right" | asked.
"Why, yes, Of course, said Bob
berry.
He was such a splendid chap, sn,
was Robbery, and so clever Hetook
the two chairs that were drifting
about the room and tied them togeth-
en- and then we waded across to the
window and stood upon the sill.
81 think it's Jolly fun said Robbery,
"If you could only see how your boats
bobbing up and down IN front here
Get in quick or can't hold her. Here
port her helm, or something. Are you
all right"
'It's splendid" said come along
But when Robbery put his foot OH
the unsteady raft she went down on
one side with a plunge. Never mind, "
ne said; you've Just got to push
yourself ashore with this pole rs
straight as you can go, and | will fol-
low"
thought that was true or | never
would have left Robbery. ! took the
pole he gave me and went out on
the restless waters that | felt were
blood-red where the setting sun had
touched them. People on the oppo.
site side cheered, and cried and called
me, and Robbery behind called out
once or twice, "Ship ahoy!" in
shrill voice that | knew and loved bet
ter than anything on earth and once
heard him say fa;ntly--he seemed
30 far away-"ln port at last"
At last
The people on shore had ceased their
shouts OF excitement and encourage
ment; the light had died utterly away.
In an awful silence and an awful
darkness jumped to land and held
out my hands.
"Bobbery! Robbery" l cried, 81
want to thank you"
Did Robbery hear, sir, do you
think? Do people hear anything, do
people understand anything after
they have gone away?
only knew that the awful silence
was turning me to stone, that the aw-
iul darkness was rising like a stone
wall between me and Robbery, ana j
was afraid. When ! called no one an
swered, and was glad. Ii his voice
was silent any other voice would have
maddenrd me Just then, and j wanted
nothing more TO tell me all the truth.
learned through the silence on land
and sea how God had answered my
prayer.
They told me afterwars how the
plank he was launching to help him.
self to the shore drifted away from
his hand and was out OF sight directly,
how they would have saved him If
they could, and how, when they be.
gan to shout to him directions, he
made sign for silence and stood
straight upon the sill, with the sunset
creeping all about him and the waters
washing at his feet. They wondered
why he had made no effort to reach
the shore with me; they used to won
der for long after why he had stood so
silent, with his eager eyes and restless
feet so strangely still. l knew, oil
course; but what right had any one
else to come between me and Bob
berry? It wouldn't have done any
one any good to know what l
knew that Robbery wouldn't let
me lose the faintest chance; thought
my blind, helpless life quite as
well worth saving as his own.
would have done the samefor him, sir.
any day, for Robbery and NE were al
ways fond OF each other.
The story's been longer than |
thought, sir, but just the evening and
the floods again, and your wanting to
know about the cross, brought it back
to me like the same evening somehow,
an it's company like to talk OF the
lad. And Robbery? he just died, sir;
and the folks thought such deal oil
him that they collected bit to SET
me up, and took half of the money
just to put this little cross by the
river side, for we always divided the
cnnners cir. and haYn't FORGOT him